


Sunblock

by Born2read



Category: Life with Derek
Genre: F/M, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:47:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25539769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Born2read/pseuds/Born2read
Summary: He looks down at the spray can in his hands. "What the fuck is this?"Her back is already turned to him, but Casey whirls around to face him. "Excuse me?"It takes a second for him to realize that he'd said that out loud. Still, he'd already said it... Holding up the sunblock to her, he squints. "What. The. Fuck. Is. This?"In which Derek curses the invention of spray sunscreen.
Relationships: Casey McDonald & Derek Venturi, Casey McDonald/Derek Venturi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	Sunblock

Anyone who has seen any movie can picture the scene: There's the sun, sand, and ocean background. A pretty woman glances over her shoulder, offers a coy smile, and politely -- maybe even shyly -- asks the handsome man to apply suntan lotion on her back.

It's a trope for a reason. People love that kind of scene.

Not to mention, this is the kind of movie scenario that can happen in reality. It has happened to Derek on more than one occasion. It's all he can think about on the plane ride as he, Casey, and a few mutual friends (perhaps they both should be more surprised at the fact that they're, yet again, sharing a friend group and sharing Spring Break plans, but neither of them seems to be) head to Florida for a week of sun, sand, and water. In his mind, they would be on the beach. They would let their friends sort themselves, Derek would remind Casey that she needs sunblock (she burns as if she were Irish), and then she'd ask him to rub it on her back and shoulders for her.

Derek didn't expect anything to happen from there. Casey was so deep in denial that he couldn't expect a cliche movie scene to wake her up to what was standing right before her, but--

(It's not that he's a romantic or anything, it's just sometimes Casey makes him want, and want, and  _ want _ so he plays out these little scenarios in his mind in the hopes that one day she'll open her eyes).

\-- who could blame him for wanting to be that person when Casey looks the way she does in the bikini he knows she packed.

(He knows because he went through her luggage for an unrelated prank, but that's neither here nor there).

The plane lands, they get to the hotel, they unpack and head to their separate rooms. Through it all, Derek plays it out in his mind, deciding how brave he'll be when the time comes.

The next day, he's jittery with anticipation. In all honesty, it's a silly thing, but some days Derek has so few opportunities to try to get Casey to acknowledge what's there between them. He isn't about to turn up his nose at another chance.

(Sometimes they have these moments where he can see the fire in her eyes; it's not the same heat from when they were teenagers, wrestling over the remote. When it happens, his breath always catches, and a small part of him hopes that this is it; this is the moment they  _ finally  _ move forward. Now when she looks at him with that look, the expression is deeper. It's more meaningful. However, before he has much time to react, the look is always replaced with fear. She's afraid of what could happen if she allowed herself to have something real and substantial, even for a moment. Derek knows it's more than that, given their situation, but it's a little bit about her serial monogamy and fear of commitment. There's a reason she always goes after boring guys who will never last).

They get to the beach, and their friends pair off. When Casey loses the swimsuit cover, his mouth goes dry. Conner, his roommate and sometimes best friend, gives him a knowing look. He had Derek pegged as in love with Casey the first time he met her. Ignoring him, Derek works on getting their canopy set up. When their staked-out area is ready, their chairs and belongings marking their spot, everyone starts applying sunscreen, removing clothes, and hitting the water. Casey digs around in her giant beach bag (she's got a book, his speaker, both their towels, and her sunscreen in there; why she needs a bag that large is anyone's guess), pulling out her sunscreen.

"Derek?" Here it is. His head snaps up, already reaching out to take the bottle from her hands. "Can you spray my back?"

He looks down at the  _ spray _ can in his hands. "What the fuck is this?"

Her back is already turned to him, but Casey whirls around to face him. "Excuse me?"

It takes a second for him to realize that he'd said that out loud. Still, he'd already said it... Holding up the sunblock to her, he squints. "What. The. Fuck. Is. This?"

Her hands go to her hips, and her brows arch. Casey's confused, but never one to back down from an argument with him. They've honestly fought about dumber things. A few of their friends linger nearby, but he's already forgotten about them because was she really going to give him a sunscreen  _ spray _ ?

"It's sunscreen, Derek." She says it like it's obvious, the implied 'duh' lingering in the air between them.

He manages to sound incredulous and offended all at once, "It's a  _ spray _ ."

She snorts, dropping her hands. "Yeah?"

"Why is it  _ a spray _ ?"

The look she gives him is coated with disbelief, and wonder like Casey thinks he's finally lost it. He can't blame her, not really. It does look like he's losing it over a can of sunblock spray. "It coats more evenly, takes less time to apply when people assisting aren't acting like a stubborn jackass, and works just as well as regular sunblock lotion. What is your problem?"

Frustrated (in more ways than one), Derek makes an irritated noise, somewhere between a grunt and a scoff. As he so often does, he plows forward without thinking much of what he says, "What am I supposed to do with this? It's hard enough waiting for you to acknowledge to yourself how you feel about me." Her eyes pop open, but he continues on, "But then you take away the little moments that hold me together because they remind me that it's not all in my head; that what I know, what everyone around us knows, is actually true and not just some fantasy?"

The 'o' shape to her mouth widens, and her eyes dart around. As familiar as Derek is with Casey's expressions, he can't tell if she's looking for an escape or worried about their friends (the people who know they're stepsiblings) watching this play out. Suddenly, he's exhausted. "Casey, everyone, but you know. Hell, you do know, you're just too scared to admit it."

"Der _ ek _ ," she hisses, glancing around again.

"Relax, Case, I'm pretty sure there's a betting pool."

It is, apparently, the wrong thing to say. Scandalized, Casey's mouth opens and closes as she tries to think of something to say. All that comes out is a horrified, " _ No _ ."

"I mean, I can't say for sure."

"This is serious!"

He swipes his free hand down his face, the can of fucking sunscreen still in his hand. "It's really not." Derek has always thought of the two of them as inevitable. There's no guarantee that there's a betting pool, but knowing their family and friends, it wouldn't be surprising. He can't be the only one who thinks they're an eventuality. "In fact," Derek pulls out his phone. It takes a second, but then Ed is on the other line.

"I thought you were at the beach."

"I am."

"In the U.S."

Growling a little, Derek snaps, "I am."

"Isn't this call expensive."

"A bit, yeah, but this is important." Casey's brows have furrowed like she doesn't believe what he's about to do. "So, if we could stop wasting time."

"Ah, so you need something from me."

Derek can almost hear Edwin grinning on the other line. He should have known that he would try and milk this moment, but Derek gets right to it. "What betting pools are going on in the family, currently?"

"Oh," Edwin is all business now. "You want in?"

"What open pools are there? I want to know about all of them."

Casey starts shaking her head, furious.

"All of them?" Edwin squeaks.

"Nah, just the ones about Casey and me."

There's silence on the other line for a moment, aside from an audible swallow. "I'm not sure that it's a good idea; it could ruin the bet's integrity and--"

" _ Ed _ ."

"Okay, uh. There's a bet about when Casey will find out about the prank from Christmas."

"What prank?"

Edwin's voice cracks further. "Casey's listening?"

"Yeah."

"This is a bad idea."

"Ed, just continue."

"Right, uh, there's a bet on when you two are finally going to get it together."

" _ What _ ?" Casey shrieks. A few people nearby stare at them, but they both ignore everyone. "That's so incredibly inappropriate, Edwin, why would yo--  _ God _ , what would mom and George say if they knew? We're siblings."

"Step," Derek and Edwin say in unison. He grins a little. They're always stepsiblings, except for when Casey needs to distance herself.

"Besides," Edwin adds more casually, "Nora and dad are both on the bet. I can't say for sure when they're betting on, but they both have money riding."

This news surprises both Derek and Casey, and they exchange a look. Casey lets out a strangled noise, and he almost feels bad. Honestly, though, they've danced around this long enough, and Derek's never been a patient man. "Thanks, Ed." He hangs up, tucking his phone away.

"You can't, just--" She huffs, hands on her hips. Then, because she can't seem to make an argument, whines, "Der _ ek _ ." There isn't a stamp of her foot, but it sounds like it ought to be there.

"It's about that time, hon," he says, gently. Casey can only live in denial for so long before it comes crashing down around her. The longer it goes on, the worse it is for both of them.

"I know, I  _ know _ ." The heels of her hands press against her eyes. Maybe he does regret doing this in the middle of an American beach, just a little.

"We can talk about it later," he offers, shaking the can of sunscreen, "but you have to explain why this is was a good idea."

Her laugh is watery, but Casey shoots him a grateful smile. She lets him spray on the sunscreen, and it turns out these things are shitty, and you still have to rub them in, anyway. "Honestly, Case, these are terrible. Just buy regular sunblock next time." She shivers at his touch, and it's just like everything he envisioned.

They don't talk about it for the rest of the day, but the atmosphere between them remains charged throughout the afternoon. When they stop to eat, Casey passes him his sandwich, her fingers lingering on his hand. As they splash around in the ocean, she steadies herself with her hand on his chest.

He thinks that she won't bring it up at all, but that evening there's a knock on the door of his hotel room. "It's hard," she says, brushing past him. "I worry about so much, all of the things that we're going to face, and it's certainly not an ideal situation."

"Casey if we--"

She cuts him off. "I don't worry about  _ you _ . I know I call you a cad and imply that you're likely to play with a woman's feelings, but I know you better than that. I wouldn't have to worry about you." Casey says it with such conviction. It makes his heart swell. "I worried about our family, although that was for nothing, apparently, and I worry about how our friends will handle the news. It just isn't... it isn't what I imagined, and I know, I  _ know _ that life doesn't always go according to plan, but I'm not wired the way you are, I can't just go with the flow. It takes me a little longer to... adjust."

He can't help but laugh. "I know that."

"So, everything you said earlier, I know that there's... something between us, and I'm sorry that I've been, you know, avoiding the topic."

"I wasn't surprised."

She laughs a little, and he grins. "Still."

"So, now?"

"Now..." She shrugs. "I'm not sure what comes next."

Humming, he takes her hand and pulls her close. She doesn't pull away, and Derek counts it as a win. "Can we just give this a try?" He doesn't say please, but he hopes she can hear it in his voice.

"Okay," she whispers.

He cups her face, leaning down to capture her lips against his. Kissing Casey is... honestly, it's everything. He's sure that it might be like that way with anyone he's irrevocably in love with. But it's Casey, and it's him, and all of the good things about their banter and teasing manifests itself in that kiss.

They don't do much more than that, but she stays in his room, curled up against his side as they talk about everything and nothing. At some point, she sits up to look at him. "What was going on with you at the beach, with the sunscreen?"

So he tells her the full story this time. Casey laughs, shaking her head at him, and Derek has honestly never felt so content in his life. It's the best vacation he's ever had.

A few days after returning home, they learn that Nora won the bet. It's both a surprise and not at all a shock. It doesn't matter, though, that their family was betting on them because he has Casey. It isn't perfect, they still fight and sometimes have trouble communicating about the Big Important Things, but he wouldn't give it up for anything else in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this vague idea about the sunscreen, and then it turned into this dumb fic, so. Enjoy!
> 
> I'm using my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/big-evil-tiny-box) now?


End file.
